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by DaffodilDreamer
Summary: A story about a family who gave so many hope during dark times. Set before the death of Lily and James. Events leading up to their death, as well as flashbacks to various points in their past, including their days at Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1

The wind felt like pins hitting my bare cheeks and my toes had lost all feeling, but I kept walking. It was a far walk in this weather, but I felt a sense of urgency that could not wait for my car to defrost. It was silly really, the reason for this journey. It started with the sudden passing of my mother last month. She had been sick for a long time, cancer. She had been positive to the very end, keeping herself busy making a collection of scrapbooks to preserve a part of our family history. Even though I had known that her end was coming, I hadn't been able to open one of these scrapbooks until this morning. I watched myself grow in the pictures before my very eyes. She had kept everything. Every ribbon, every silly coloring project done at school.

There were many things I had forgotten about. Including the picture that I know clutched tightly inside of my jacket pocket. I had only known them for a short period of time, but I had grown to really care about them, and them for me. I met the red haired woman at a family friend's baby shower. She said the woman, Petunia was her sister. I took in her appearance, and could tell that she was also with child. She had a very narrow frame, and the bulge in her mid area was definitely a baby. I asked when she was due. "July," she had said.

She was a very nice woman. She asked about me and my schooling and ambitions in life. At the time I was in my second year of high school and it was my desire to be a kindergarten teacher, or do anything involving children. It was at this point my mother had walked over and greeted the woman with a smile. I stood there as they caught up, wondering why my mother had never invited her over for afternoon tea. After a few minutes, the woman said that she had to get going home. As she was about to walk away, she turned around and asked me if I had a job. I did not. She looked at me an my mother and explained that she and her husband would probably have to got to work not too long after the birth of their son. She asked if I would be interested in coming around a few days a week after school to babysit. I looked at my mom who smiled at me. "Sounds great!"

He was a very cute kid, although it did bother me that his black hair would never lay flat, even at just one month old. If it ever did, I could never say. After a few short months of baby sitting and the most excellent cooking I had ever tasted, I fell ill with the flu. When I recovered, I called their house and left a message saying that I was completely over the flu and Harry, yes it was Harry, was in no danger of getting sick. They never called back. I had even gone to their house once after school. Vacant. Eerily empty. After Halloween of the next year, It was no where to be found.

I didn't know what she expected to find going back there now. The boy was old enough to have his own place by now. Probably done with college, maybe even married with his own black haired son. I looked up from the ground just enough to see the house number on the closest mail box. It should be the next one over. I took a few more paces and turned up the walk to the fence. I raised my eyes and gasped. Completely empty. It was still a blank canvas that no one had taken the time to paint.

I quickly noticed that I was not alone. There was someone wearing a billowing black cloak standing, touching the fence. I cautiously approached him. "It's just awful, what happened here. It was so long ago. I wasn't even alive," the man said with a sad chuckle.

I breathed nervously. What did this man know? "Yeah, I can't believe it."

"It looks so sad, forgotten, yet it is one of the most legendary sites in our world. So much pain, death, and yet, so much hope. You can barely tell it's a house any more with all of the ivy growing on it," the man said.

I looked again. Nope, there definitely was nothing there. He continued, "My grandfather knew them, went to Hogwarts a few years behind them. Said they were two of the people he had admired most. I never knew their family personally, but everyone knew of the great Harry Potter. Everyone has come out here at least once in his life. Some of us, more often than that."

Hogwarts? The _great_ Harry Potter? "Excuse me, but I don't recall hearing about what happened."

He stared at me from under his hood. "Well I mean, I knew the family, babysat for the- for Harry. But they never returned my last phone call. Please, what happened?"

"You cannot see what is on the other side of this fence, can you?" He asked, very cautiously and quietly.

I shook my head, and with that he quickly turned, disappearing on the spot with a loud whip like noise. The man vanished before my own eyes, along with all the answers I longed to hear.

A/N- This is the intro from, as you can probably guess, a muggle perspective. Next comes The tale of the family that gave everyone so much hope through very dark times.


	2. Chapter 2

The moment he finished reading the loopy script, the letter caught ablaze and he promptly dropped it to the floor, watching as it turned to ash. The script was very familiar, however, the words it contained were very foreign to James Potter. He grabbed his wand from the kitchen table and muttered a spell to clean up the remains. He lowered his wand, then as an after thought sent a messenger patronus to his best friend. He silently walked into the living room where his wife sat, reading by the fire light. "Lily," he said softly, "we have an urgent appointment to make."

Her green eyes looked up at him, smile fading into a straight line. "What is it James? A meeting at this hour?" she asked glancing at the clock on the wall. "What about Harry? I'm not taking him out at this hour, and it is definitely too late to call Ana."

He looked at it as well. 10:47 PM. "No, this is not a meeting, or at least not an Order meeting. Dumbledore has requested to see us at the headquarters, alone. I've already sent word to Sirius that we need him. He's awake without a doubt."

She looked at him questioningly for a moment before getting up to find her coat and shoes. "It wasn't right, the letter. Yet I am sure he wrote it," he said suddenly as she walked towards the closet in the hall.

"How so?"

"Something has happened. I don't think this is going to be a good 'how have you been' type of conversation, Lils," he said, ruffling his hair.

She came back into the room, holding his jacket out to him. "Well, we will just have to see, won't we?" she said.

James could sense the wall of induced confidence she was putting up, something she only did when she was bracing herself for bad news. He took his jacket from her out stretched hand. He pulled her close to him with his other arm and lightly kissed her forehead. "James?"

"Hm?"

"If it is important, we best not keep Dumbledore waiting. Whatever it is, we can do it. I know this for a fact," she smiled at him.

"I love you," he said softly just as there was a knock on the front door.

James peeped through the peep hole. "I can see those eyes of yours, James. Just bloody open the door," his best friend exclaimed.

James laughed and obliged his friend. "First off, before you come in," he said. Sirius scowled. "What did my mother say when I asked her if you could move in for the rest of our time at school?" he asked, smiling.

Sirius sighed, rolling his eyes. "My family is finally complete."

James closed the door behind his friend and gave him a hug. "Sorry for the short notice. Dumbledore sent an urgent owl."

"Harry is sleeping upstairs already. He should be fine for a while, Sirius," Lily said, remembering the last time Sirius came to babysit. They had come home to find Harry wide awake laughing at objects Sirius was making fly around the room. This threw off his sleep schedule for a few days at least.

"Best not keep the old man waiting then. And Lily, don't worry. I can respect my godson's desire for a good night of sleep," he said smiling.

"Thank you. Come on Lils, let's go," James said.

* * *

An owl hooted as they appeared on a very dimly lit street just outside of London. The couple walked silently down the block, turning up the drive of the first house after the first lamp post. James tapped the gate with his wand, and Lily did the same. The proceeded to the door, which also opened with a tap of both of their wands.

The house was dimly lit, all of the light streaming from a room to the right. In the entrance to this room they saw a tall man with a long graying beard and half moon glasses. "Ah, good evening, James, Lily," he said nodding to them.

Lily noticed that the usual smile, although it was most often forced, was not present on his face. She swallowed and squeezed her husband's hand. "Hello, Albus. We got here as soon as we could," James said taking off his jacket, offering his hand to receive Lily's.

"As you always do," Dumbledore half smiled. "This way, if you please."

They followed Dumbledore into the lit room and took seats on the couch opposite of him. Lily smiled when she saw the candy dish filled with lemon drops, as it always was when Dumbledore called a meeting. She never understood the man's obsession with the candy, they were so sour, so opposite his personality.

"I have guessed from your letter that this is not to be a necessarily 'fun' gathering," James joked lightly.

Dumbledore smiled, "Observant as always, James. There is a lot for me to say, most of which you will probably find confusing, but please humor an old man and all of his theories and advice."

Lily nodded, "We always do."

Dumbledore paused before asking, "Have you ever heard of Rita Trelawney?"

"The current _great_ seer?" James answered with slight sarcasm. He was not a fan.

Lily nudged him with her elbow, giving him a serious glance. "I am aware that you were never a fan, nor a believer in the art of divination, James, but the Trelawney family is very well respected in this field," Dumbledore said. "It is actually very crucial that you quickly find an understanding of this art."

James sad silently. "Rita has a daughter doesn't she? I remember her leaving Hogwarts the year after our first," Lily commented.

"Yes, you are correct. In fact Sybill has made the prediction that is the purpose of this meeting," he paused looking at them very seriously. "It seems as though your son, thus the two of you, are in danger."

James started. "How can you trust her as a source? From what I've heard at the Ministry, her previous _predictions_ have been a load of-"

"James!" Lily fumed. She turned her attention back to Dumbledore's concerned eyes. "What happened how has this come about? What does it mean?" She pleaded.

Dumbledore looked at James. "As you may have heard, Hogwarts is hiring a lot of new staff this year. One of the vacant posts happened to be for divination. Being an old friend of Rita's I could not refuse her daughter's request for an interview, no matter what her past in the field has looked like. I arranged to meet with her in Hogsmeade just this past week. It was quite tedious, she is a very nervous person. She had planned predictions to tell me, all of which involved Hogwarts and myself being in great danger.

"This of course is obvious, considering the wizarding war we are currently in the middle of. I humored her until I had finished all of my questioning. As we were getting ready to part, I excused myself to use the loo. Upon returning I found her rigid in her chair, eyes glazed over. I could only stare as she made a real prediction."

Dumbledore paused, and pulled out a vile with a shimmery strand floating in it. He coaxed it into the pensieve that the couple hadn't even noticed sitting in front of them. They peered into the pool of liquid and heard a terrible voice. "_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord...born to those who have thrice defied him, as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..._"

Lily gasped. "What does this have to do with us? Yes, it is true that Harry was born on July 31st. But, he can't be the only one! The Longbottom child was born this day as well!" James argued.

Dumbledore raised his hand. "Please, allow me to explain why it is you who sits here and not Frank and Alice Longbottom," he said sadly.

Lily and James nodded. "Unfortunately, this interview was not as private as I had wanted it to be. Yes, we had our own room upstairs, but there was someone who was following me who heard the beginning of this prophecy. This man brought the information he heard straight to Voldemort, very proud of himself, not knowing what was to be made of this information."

"Who? Who did this?" James asked angrily.

Dumbledore sighed, conflicted. The more people that knew, the more dangerous the situation. This man could potentially be extremely useful, and he did seem sincere upon surrendering his information. But, oh the anger this information would cause the Potters. Yet they still deserved to know. Not totally decided on what to do, he began. "After presenting this information to Voldemort, he was greatly rewarded and was even allowed to hear the Dark Lord talk over the situation in the solitude of his personal quarters. Voldemort decided that it was your Harry that he was going to go after. Upon hearing this information, the informant felt an instant loathing for Voldemort and his plan to hurt your family. In particular, one certain member of your family," he said glancing at Lily.

"He came to me right after it happened, and told me of the Dark Lord's fear and his plan to destroy Harry." Lily winced.

"He said that he could not live with himself if you were hurt. He said that he had begged the Dark Lord to spare Lily's life. That he would help get the child as long as Lily was safe," Dumbledore said.

"Who is this man?" James demanded.

"Severus Snape. Please, don't say anything just yet," Dumbledore said as he watched James turn six shades of red. Lily grabbed his hand.

"Severus confessed that he has always had a spot in his heart for Lily. He said he loved her so much, that he didn't care if the Dark Lord found out he had turned traitor. He said he would turn himself in right now and be killed if it meant Lily could be saved. This is when I knew what he was saying was the truth. I told him that your family would remain safe, all of you. I then requested him to be a double agent. I of course have not told him anything of the Order of the Phoenix or anything valuable that he could bring back to his Lord. He is going to go through the test of time," he paused. "Time, however, is something you do not have. Starting tonight, you will be protected by a Fidelius charm. I'm sorry to rush you into this decision, but you must choose a suitable secret keeper tonight, and I will work the necessary magic. It is the only way."

"Sirius," James whispered, and Lily nodded, agreeing silently.

"Then I will call upon him," Dumbledore said.

"He is watching Harry, at our house," James said.

"I guessed as much. I will send word to him and ask him to bring Harry as well. He must never leave your sides. Keeping him safe is a must, until he is old enough to fight. Remember, Voldemort does not know of the later half of the prophecy, that Harry will have powers he has never known."

"Is this what he is meant to become? Trained, kept alive for this one purpose?" Lily asked quietly.

James looked at her nervously. "Of course he will be your son first and foremost, but we must never forget his true potential. Keeping him safe can ensure the safety of our world," Dumbledore said.

"I will not raise my child to send him to his potential death!" Lily shrieked.

"It will be for the good of the wizarding world. If he is trained properly, there will be no need for these fears," Dumbledore hardened.

James felt Lily tremble beside him. He looked upon her face, a mix of fear, anger, hatred even, anguish, and longing. Though he kept his calm, strong facad, he felt the same emotions throughout his entire body. A screaming rage stifled by years of auror training. As he watched the first bead of liquid glass fall down her cheek he felt his own eyes burn. No. He could not allow the proof of his intense fear be seen. Fear meant doubt, despair. This battle to keep his family safe had just begun and was far from over. Even in those dark words uttered by Dumbledore he had to find a source of hope. He had fought so hard for Lily, for this family to exist. Although all of those years of pursuit may have been annoying to her, they marked the beginning of his life.

This was a life he was not planning on giving up lightly.

* * *

"Are you afraid, James?" she asked suddenly into the silent night.

Although she had stopped crying hours ago, he knew she hadn't been sleeping next to him. He signed and took his time to answer. Truthfully, this had been one of the worst days of his life, and yes, a part of him was scared shitless. Years ago, he would not have told her about this looming fear. He would have turned to her and said that everything would be just fine, that there was no doubt in his mind that 11 years from now they would be kissing Harry good bye as he boarded the Hogwarts express for the first time. That was then, before he knew how strong of a person she really was. It was this strength that he loved her for. He could not cover up his fear, but he could also not cover up the part of him that was blazing with hope.

Finally he turned to her. The moon reflected in her emerald eyes, Harry's eyes. No, he could tell her nothing less than everything he was feeling. He gathered her into his arms and said, "The greatest fear in my life is losing you, losing our son. I will fight this, everything that happens from here on out that threatens our family." His voice started to break, eyes suddenly burning. "I will fight for this family. That is a promise."


End file.
